Grease gun



Sept. 4, 1934. C W PARKER 1,972,161

GREASE GUN Filed'Aug. 9, `1929 2 sheets-sheet 1 w 'u N a jin" m JIVENTOVR 'ATT RNEY Sept 4, 1934. c. w. PARKER 1,972,161

GREASE GUN Filed Aug. 9, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 'INVENTORZ O m C1 ai l0 E' A T RNEY Patented Sept. 4, 1934' UNITED STATES GREASE GUN Clark W. Parker, New York, N. Y., assigner, by mesn assignments, to The Lubrication Corporation, South Bend, Ind., a. corporation of Delaware Application August 9, 1929, Serial No. 384,624

4 Claims.

This invention relates to the art of lubrication and particularly has reference to a central, forced-feed high-pressure grease-gun or compressor, adapted for general lubrication purposes,

5 and capable of imposing high pressure, along the longitudinal axis of the compressor, upon the column of grease passing therefrom, through the connections to a fitting applied at the end of the gland leading to the bearing or parts to be lubricated.

High pressure grease' guns or compressors are of various types, some being provided with lever mechanism, operating at an angle to the barrel, coupled with a booster, arranged transversely of the barrel, or container; others being provided with means by which pneumatic pressure can be imposed upon the body or mass of grease in order to force the latter to the point of use; others, being made of such size as to carry from 5 to 25 lbs. of grease, are provided with special means for driving the grease from the container to the point of delivery or use;` and others being provided with a piston driven by a screw-rod manipulated by hand. All compressors, known to me, are either inadequate for the purposes intended, are hard to manipulate, are complicated, heavy, too bulky, cumbersome and expensive.

None on the market gives general satisfaction due to the foregoing objections, or because they are -fragile and easily broken, and are not universally usable.

By my invention, all objections are overcome, all faults are removed, anda gun or compressor is produced which has many advantages over structures now on the market, as will be apparent during the course of this description. Specifically, my invention is applicable to grease guns or compressors which are portable, as well as those which are mounted on trucks or wheeledcarriers, and which are used ordinarily about garages and service stations.

Among the objects of my invention may be noted the following: to provide a construction which is applicable to grease guns or compressors of both the portable type and the larger, or service, type which are not readily handled or carried aboutv by the user, the construction being simple, strong, durable, compact and economical to produce; to provide a grease gun or compressor with a high pressure feed and delivery means within the confines of the gun barrel; to provide a structure such as noted in the foregoing with a plunger and lever operating mechanism, capable of imposing upwards of 15,000 pounds pressure p. s. i., regardless of the size of the gun or barrel in which the mechanism is I embodied; to provide a gun or compressor for lubricating purposes with means by which it can be loaded without dismantling or removing any of its parts; to provide a gun or compressor for lubricating purposes composed of a few, simple parts, the pressure means of which are within the barrel, thus leaving the latter free and unobstructed and capable of being handled without interference from any of said parts; to provide a compressor of the type noted with a lever mechanism, for actuating the plunger, mounted on one end of the barrel, remote from the delivery and lling means; and to provide certain details of construction and media by which the objects noted in the foregoing are attained and which produce a compact strong, easily handled, high pressure gun, for all lubricating purposes.

With the above objects in view and others which will be detailed during the-course of this description, my invention consists in ythe parts,

features, elements and combinations thereof hereinafter described and claimed.

In order that my invention may be clearly understood, I have provided drawings wherein,

Figure 1 is a view showing a portable grease gun or compressor with my invention applied thereto, parts of the figure being broken away and the hose or conduit being broken in two to convey the idea of indefinite length;

Figure 2 is a transverse section on the line 2-2 of Figure 3, the arrow-heads indicating the direction of sight; and

Figure 3 is a view showing the compressor of Figure 1 on an enlarged scale, the view being a longitudinal, vertical section, broken centrally, due to the limitations of the sheet and, for the same reason, other parts being broken away.

Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that the barrel 1 of the gun or compressor is cylindrical in form and may be of any desired diameter and length, that shown being portable and approximately 10" long. The barrel is provided With a cap 2, which is threaded -onto one end of the barrel, as shown in Figure 1, and which cap carries the lever mechanism presently described. The delivery end of the barrel is provided with a cap 3 which is also threaded onto the barrel, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the said cap 3 being provided with a reduced'portion 4, which encircles and is rigidly clamped upon a tubular, internally threaded member forming a delivery spout 5, extending inwardly to the junction of the reduced portion 4 with the cap 3, and extending outwardly beyond the flange, which is interned for the purpose of clamping the spout 5 thereto. The reduced portion 4 is also provided, at a convenient point, with the laterally extended tubular member 6, into which extends a lateral member 7 of the spout 5, which is internally threaded to receive the threaded end 8, of a fitting provided with a plurality of circumferential flanges 9, forming a circular groove into which'the clamping members of a filling nozzle may be entered for the purpose of' coupling the fitting to a pressure grease gun for filling the barrel 1. The fitting is provided, at its outer end, with a ball valve 10, which is forced against the internal seat of the fitting by a spring 11, held, as by lugs 12, within the passage of the fitting. The passage through the fitting is continued at 13, through the spout 5, into the cap 3 and adjacent end of the barrel 1.

A conduit extends throughout the barrel of the gun, is located in the longitudinal axis of the latter, and has one end passing through the cap 2, and the other end terminating in the spout 5, in which it is threaded. The conduit within the barrel consists of the external tube a, and the shorter internal tube b, acting as a bushing for a plunger, or piston presently described. The conduit is extended outside the barrel by a tube c, the inner end of which is threaded into the spout 5, abuts against the end of the tube a. and extends in an indefinite length within the sheath 14, which turns freely on it. The tube c, at its outer end, terminates in the ball of a universal joint 16, and the sheath 14 terminates in an actuator 15 for said joint. The joint and its connected parts constitute a coupling or nozzle, the structure of which is substantially the same as that disclosed in my application filed November 21, 1928, Ser. No. 320,832. It will be understood that when the sheath 14 is rotated by one hand of the operator, the coupling member 16 will likewise be 'rotated in one direction or the other, resulting in opening and closing the gripping jaws 1'7 relatively to the iiange of an oil cup or fitting which caps the gland extending to the bearing or part to be lubricated.

It would be expensive to bore the tubular conduit a for my purposes; so, I haveprovided an` the end of the rod 19,` and turning in its end as' at 21, to retain the lugs 22, which are pinched out on the surface of the inner end of the'piston 18. Thus, the weight of the driving rod 19 and piston 18 are also `greatly reduced, and the cost thereof is economized. The conduit a is bored at 23 to permit of the travel of the lugs 24, pinched out upon the surface of the driving rod 19, and

also to reduce friction between the conduit a and'the driving rod 19, the latterr at its inner end having its bearing Within the bore of said conduit. The outer end of the conduit is threaded to receive an internally, screw-threaded, nut 25, which prevents the driving rod 19 from being pulled-out too far and also closes the outer end of the conduit. The bore of the nut 25 also extends a bearing for the rod 19. 'The outer end of the rod 19 has a circular ange 26, and is extended into a spherical head 27, which ts within the sockets of a U-shaped lever 28, pivoted at 29, to one end of a link 30, pivoted at its other end at 31, to the cap 2 ofthe barrel 1. Thus, the lever 28 drives the rod 19 which, in turn, drives the piston 18, the small diameter of which exerts a tremendous pressure yupon the column of grease within the passage 32, of the tube b, which. passage communicates, through a nipple 33, with the chamber of the barrel 1. The nipple is provided internally with a'seat for the ball valve 34, held to its seat by the spring 35, at rest upon an internal flange of said nipple. The passage, from the chamber of the barrel to the bore of the bushing, is thus normally sealed. Freely sliding upon the conduit a, is a follower or plunger 36, of material weight, adapted to hold contact with the body or mass of grease within the barrel', the several grooves 37 in said plunger operating to prevent the passage of air to the body of grease; or, the said circumferential grooves 37 may be provided with gaskets for the purpose. The chamber of the barrel beyond the outer end of the plunger is open to atmosphere through the aperture 38, resulting in holding the plunger 36 to its work in contact with the mass or grease Within the chamber of the barrel.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that manipulation of the lever 28, when connected to the ball 27 of the rod 19, will cause the lever to reciprocate the driving rod 19, an-d the piston 18, and, upon viewing Figure 3, itwill be seen that the outer limit of the movement of the inner end of the rod 19 is a considerable distance within the bore of the tube a, While the outer limit of movement of the inner end of the plunger 18, is a still greater distance within the passage 32 of the bushing b; and the plunger near its inner end is provided with a plurality of circumferential 115 grooves 39, which operate as gaskets to prevent the passage of air and grease'and, at the same time, to reduce friction. Upon viewing Figure 1, it will be seen that the lever 28 has been forced inwardly to its full extreme, causing the plunger 18 to be likewise forced inwardly to its fullest extreme, causing its inner end to pass by the outlet of the nipple 33, thus sealing said outlet toprevent any further feeding of the grease and also prevent excess pressure upon the sealing member 34 of said nipple. In this figure, it will also be seen that when the ball 27 has been released from the sockets 40 of the lever 28, which is done by giving a quick jerk upon the lever and holding the rod 19 with the thumb or fingers, 130 the lever may be turned back upon the barrel l and its hooked end 41 caught frictionally over the flange 42 of the cap member 3, as shown by dotted lines. Thus, the gun can be compactly arranged in a carton or kit for storage, trans- 1 portation. or non-use; and it will be understood that, to this end, the conduit c-14, can be removed from the barrel and stored in parallelism with the latter. From the foregoing detailed description, the following mode of operation will be 140 readily understood:

If it is desired to lubricate the bearings of an automobile, or the many bearings of industrial machinery, the gun is held in the right hand, for example, and the coupling 16 is pre- 145 sented to the fitting or grease cup through which the supply is to be driven. By turning the sheath 14 with the left hand, for example, the gripping jaws 17 can be shifted outwardly and spread apart so as to receive 150 between them the flange or skirt of the tting. Thereupon, the movement ofthe sleeve 14 is reversed, which causes the jaws l'l to recede within the coupler and simultaneously close tightly upon the skirt or flange of the fitting. If the angle of approach to the particular tting, through which the lubricant is to be forced, is difficult, the coupling at the point 16 may be shifted, by hand or by longitudinal .pressure upon the conduit, to a sufficient angle to the latter to enable the jaws 17 to embrace the skirt or flange of the fitting, whereupon the sheath 14 will be manipulated as just suggested. Now, assuming that the manipulating lever 28 is in the full line position of Figure 1 and that the barrel of the gun is full of grease, the lever will be pumped 3 or 4 times, which will be found ample for the purpose of 'opening the valvel of the fitting and forcing the old grease out of the gland and replacing the same with new, clean lubricant. As the piston 18 is reciprocated within the bore 32 of the bushing b, the back-strokeA thereof will draw greasefrom the barrel 1, past the valve 34 and into the bore 32, filling the latter. Reverse movement of the piston will simultaneously force the grease through the bore 32, and reseat or close the valve 34, so that none of the grease in the bore132 will pass back into the barrel 1. The full stroke forward of the piston will cause its free end to pass the nipple 33, thus preventing any further supply of grease from the barrel by sealing the -outlet of the nipple. This is important, since while the piston is doing its work of boosting the grease under high pressure through the conduit .and the fitting into the gland, no more grease can be drawn into the passage 32, nor behind the plunger. Air is also prevented from entering the barrel through said nipple. And on the return stroke or back stroke of the piston, the passage through the nipple into the conduit 32 is momentarily sealed, preventing either grease or air flowing to the passage 32. i

As the grease decreases in volume in the barrel l, vthe follower 36 slides along the conduit afkeeping in contact with the end of the mass of grease, due to atmospheric pressure within the chamber,` the air being admitted through the aperture 38 in the cap 2.

When the grease in the barrel is exhausted, the latter may be refilled by applying a suitable nozzle to thev skirt 9 or flange of the filter fitting, forming part of the lubricating system in a service station, and the grease may be forced through said fitting. into the barrel pneumatically or otherwise, the same following the passage through the fitting, discharge spout and cap 3. As the grease is forced-into the barrel, the follower 36 will travel the conduit a until it strikes the fianges of the cap 2. will create back pressure indicating that the nozzle should be removed and the filling operation should-cease. However, no injury can be done by excessively filling -the 4barrel 1, since the valve 34 will immediately open under excess of pressure within the barrel, allowing the escape of ,lubricant through the nipple and into and through the passage 32'; resulting in both forcing the piston 18, backwardly and driving grease out through the coupler-nozzle. Pressure upon the piston 18 will immediately be transmitted to the lever, the movement of which outwardly will be the signal for cease filling.

It will be understood that very high pressure Iin small compass.

can be imposed upon the grease column in the conduit a, due to the length of the lever 28, its

Y point of fulcrum, and the greatly reduced diameter of the' piston 18. In fact, a pressure can be imposed upon the column of grease, approximating 20,000 pounds to the square inch. For pumping purposes, the socket 40 of the lever is forcibly applied to the ball 27 of the plunger 19. For storage, transportation and convenient carriage, the lever 28 is disconnected from the ball 27 of the plunger 19, and the lever is folded back upon the barrel 1, as shown in Figure 1, and its hook 41 is` lsnapped frictionally over the flange of the cap 3.

Important advantages of my structure may be noted as follows: the lever 28 is of the second.

order, enabling the power applied to its free end to be directly and without loss transmitted to the plunger 19. The compressor, as a whole, is compactly made, so that storage, packing and transportation'are greatly facilitated, due to the reduction in size of the package and exceeding convenience in handling and placing the compressor All external booster devices are removed from the barrel, and the compressor is made compact, strong, durable, and powerful in function by placing the piston mechanism in the line of the longitudinal axis of the compressor. Economy of original construction as well as economy. of maintenance are brought about by' the foregoing structure, for the reason that the parts cannot be. tampered with, and cannot be broken' in usage as by throwing the same about or carelessly handling the compressor. The compressor can be' filled through the fitting 9 without removing any of the parts of the compressor; and filling through the said fitting is rapid, convenient and safe, due to the presence of the readily yielding valve 34, if excessive pressure is applied during'the filling operation or at the end thereof, as heretofore explained. The compressor is made ofl the fewest and simplest parts, due to placing the plunger within the same, and the ability to ll the barrel through the nozzle thereof. The parts can be, very quickly dismantled by breaking the joint as 27--40, knocking out the pivot pin 31, removing the nut 25, withdrawing the plunger 19 and removing the caps 2 and 3. Removal of the conduit a will carry with it the nipple 33 and follower 36, or the said parts can be examined by removing the cap 3 from the barrel 1. The spout member 5 with its filler-fitting can be separated from the conduit a; and the filler-fitting can be removed from the member 5. The sheath 14 and the conduit part c can be removed from the member 5.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters vPatent is: 1. A lubricant gun comprising in combination, a lubricant holding barrel, a feeding conduit therein, a piston operatively disposed in said conduit, a lever pivotally mounted upon the barrel, and means including a ball and a resilient socket providing a universal interconnection between said piston and said lever, said interconnecting means being subject to connection and disconnection at will.

2. A lubricant gun comprising a container adapted to hold a large quantity of lubricant, having a discharge spout at one end, centrally 1ocated lubricant feeding means disposed within said container, a check Valve for establishing communication between the container and said feeding means, a pivotal link mounted at that end of -the container, opposite tothe discharge spout, and a lever pivotally connected to the link and yieldingly detachable and pivotally connected to the feeding means for actuating the latter, and a lllinfg nipple carried by the container and coin'- municating with the interior thereof.

'3. A lubricant gun, comprising a lubricant containing barrel, a' piston slidably disposed therein and contacting with the lubricant, a feeding conduit disposed centrally within the barrel, an inlet -check valve for.establishing communication between the barrel and the conduit, a piston adapt ed to reciprocate in the conduit for discharging lubricant under pressure therefrom, said checkvalve communicatingv with that portion of the conduit. ahead of the piston during its pressure strokeand means for actuating the piston, the

travel of said pressure piston being such astol close said pressure cylinder inlet when the piston is at the end of its pressure stroke.

4. A lubricant gun comprising, a lubricantcon- .compassing said pump cylinder, an inlet valve for the pump cylinder located in said portion of reduced internal diameter of the barrel end wall, and an inlet valve for filling said barrel also loated in said inlet reduced portion of the barrel end wall, whereby the low pressure piston may traverse the entire length of the barrel body.

CLARK W. PARKER. 

